Jenna runs the marathon - AGAIN!

Yes you read that correctly, I will be running the NYC Marathon again this year and training is in full effect! I am so excited to have the opportunity to run such this amazing race again. Many people have told me I am nuts and they cannot believe I want to do it again! After the grueling training + injuries I endured last year I was not so sure if I WOULD ever run another marathon. There were days when I came home in tears and told Matt I wasn't sure if I could do it. And then there was the stress fracture in my foot that set me back in the last month, but I didn't let that stop me! I was determined to run the race and finish with my goal time of 4 hours 30 minutes and that I did!

As soon as I took my first few steps on that Verrazano Bridge, I knew in my heart that I had to run this marathon again! It was such an amazing experience and I get all teary eyed just thinking about it. For starters I ran for a charity in honor of my grandmother who I lost to liver cancer. The charity I ran for, Fred's Team, raises money for Sloan Kettering in NYC where my grandmother was treated. Since I raised over $5,000 (I raised $7,800 to be exact) - I was awarded a two night stay in at a hotel in Times Square during marathon weekend - score! The night before the marathon, Matt and I decided to do some touristy things like visit FAO Swartz and the L-O-V-E sign and then we got burgers and fries (my favorite pre-race meal) at the Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien. We then met up with a friend who lives near Columbus Circle and watched the some fireworks from her apartment building!

Marathon morning came fast but don't worry I was well rested. When running a marathon you should get a good night sleep 2-3 days in advance and I definitely followed these orders. That morning I took my nervous and jittery self down to the hotel lobby too meet up with Tina and Lori for our Fred's Team breakfast. While eating, we were approached by a cancer survivor turned volunteer who thanked us for running and raising money - tear, the waterworks started early. We then boarded our buses and were off to Staten Island at the wee hour of 5:30am! We also met up with Liz, who I know from Hoboken - I had forgotten she was a charity runner and so glad I bumped into her! Ok so once in Staten Island it was a waiting game - I won't bore you with all the details of sitting on soggy grounds. Instead let's get on to the race recap!

I started in the 2nd wave, which was around 10:00am and was put on the lower level of the Verazzano. Some people complained about this but I actually really liked it! There was lots of room on the lower level of the bridge and were still able to sneak a few peaks of the Statue of Liberty! Lori, Liz and I were all in the same wave and I am SO lucky I had them by my side for 26.2 miles! Once we hit Brooklyn, the cheering and amazing crowd support started. I could not believe the number of people out in the street cheering all the runners on. There were people handing out water and bananas, there were bands, people singing karaoke, church choirs, oh and I will never forget the group of people that were doing the YMCA on the steps of their building - so fun! I wore my name on my shirt and ran near the sides because I needed/wanted people to cheer for me! Go Jenna! Yeah Jenna! Go Jenna, Lori & Liz! It was so cool to hear this and have total strangers smiling and throwing their arms in the air when we ran by.

The first 13 miles were a breeze, we were running fast but new we'd eventually slow down. I could not wait to see my family on 1st Avenue but still had to conquer Queens. I actually had a surprise in Long Island CIty - my friend Elise and her husband stopped there to cheer me on - so AMAZING! I found out ahead of time because she texted me to to look out for her. (Yes I had my phone with my and was sending out pre-typed texts with my locations and times.) Anyway I bumrushed Elise with the biggest hug ever and then was on my way. Queens was a bit quieter than Brooklyn and the 59th Street bridge was so incredibly hard. I kept on pushing through because I knew 1st Avenue was right around the corner and I could hear the yelling and cheering from a 1/2 mile away!

I'd have to say I flew down 1st Avenue and saw all my friends which made me SO happy. My biggest cheering squad was around 90th Street (mile 18 or 19) where I had 11 people waiting for me! I ran over to hug and kiss Matt and waved to the rest of my family and friends. (I tried to hug everyone but there just wasn't enough time - I didn't want to lose my friends I was running with!) I cannot tell you though how much it meant to have all of them there. It helped me to push through those hard miles and gave me something to look forward to! Everyone said it was such a cool experience to watch the race and one of my friends even cried after I ran by!

Ok ok I am rambling here…let's move on….I headed into the Bronx and mile 19-22 got pretty hard. At one point I felt nauseas but Lori said "hang in there, you'll be fine!" I also knew I would be seeing my family and friends again at Central Park East and that I'd I also be seeing my girls from the Hoboken Elysianette's Running Society at mile 23! Ahh more happy faces and waving to everyone. Now at this point I only had a few more miles to go and I kept on trucking. I turned on my ipod in the Bronx and had it full blast through the last few miles. I actually finished the race to Metallica's Enter Sandman which will forever hold a special spot in my heart! I had my goal in mind for my 4:30 marathon and really wanted my name in the paper the next day (haha) so I really tried to pick up the pace! I ended up losing my friend Liz at the end and I almost lost Lori too because she took off really fast but she did wait for me at the finish line. I saw her as soon as I was done and we flew into eachother's arms where we cried hysterically and hyperventilated at the same time. We were so tired but also on SUCH a high. It felt so amazing to finish 26.2 miles and do it all in the 5 boroughs of NYC with fans cheering the entire time. I couldn't have asked for a better marathon and cannot wait to do it all again!

Later the night I met up with my friends and family again for a post-race dinner at Tony DiNapoli's - yum! It was so good to see everyone and to thank them for supporting me and cheering me on! The NYC marathon definitely ranks as one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. I cannot describe the feeling that came over me that day but I know I want to feel it again! This year I got in through the lottery and am really looking forward to running it again. I am not so excited about the training but am grateful that I have many running buddies to train with this year!

Here are some photos from my marathon weekend…enjoy!

Pre-race festivities





Pre-race fireworks in Central Park





Fred's Team group photo in Times Square at 5:30am



Lori, Liz and I in Brooklyn





The awesome signs my friends made me (which totally helped me to spot them)



Me going crazy when I spotted my running friends at mile 23




Me back at the hotel, wearing my medal proudly!







Celebrating with my friends and family









Here are a few cool shots my friend took of the professional runners!

If this is it!

myself, Tina and Lori at the Expo last night

I am laughing so hard right now, I can barely even control myself! I woke up this morning with a song in my head (this happens often by the way) and totally correlated it with the marathon! The song was "If this is it," by Huey Lewis and the News! So I said to myself, "this is it" the marathon is here and you did all you can do and hopefully it is a great day! Well I just decided to look up the lyrics to this song, the main chorus goes like this:

If this is it

Please let me know

If this ain't love you better let me know

If this is it

I want to know

If this ain't love baby, just say so

Haha, it's a "love" song! How cute, but how the heck did this get into my head?! Like I said this is a normal occurrence that I wake up with songs in my head...it is almost as if they are playing in my dream and when my eyes open I am still thinking about it! So maybe I was dreaming about the marathon? Not sure but IT IS all I can thinking about lately! I am so very excited, nervous, hyper, happy and scared all at the same time. My emotions are all over the place and I feel so strange at times. I am worried about all the normal things marathoners worry about: did I train enough, will I make the whole 26.2, what will the weather be, what clothes should I run in, etc.

I think my biggest concern is my foot. I have not blogged or spoke about it much because I felt like it was bad karma but back on Sept. 27 I injured my foot during a 21 mile run. Ever since then I have been resting, icing, taking anti-inflammatories, wearing flat shoes, cross training and doing whatever I can do to stay in shape but overall it has been a tad disheartening. I have been to the doctor 3 times: 2 x-rays and 1 bone scan later I was diagnosed with a minor stress fracture. The good news is, the bone scan shows it was small and is almost healed which is amazing news! I was able to do a 15 mile and a 17 mile run plus a few short runs but in total I have only run 5 times in the last 5 weeks and that frightens me. I made the decision to rest and save my foot for race day rather than further injure it during training. I am still frightened at the fact that I may not be fully trained and that I am running the risk of breaking the bone completely. At this point there is nothing else I can do, the race must go on! I put in several months of training and believe my body will remember that! (Muscle memory?) I may be a little slower but I still know I will make it!

On a brighter note, my fundraising capped out at $7,599! Woohoo! All the proceeds directly go to Memorial Sloan-Kettering for cancer research. I will be 1 of 700 Fred's Team Charity Runners in the marathon and together we raised over $2MM for the cause! On marathon day I will be thinking of my grandmother who I lost to cancer and was treated at Sloan-Kettering Hospital.

I will also thinking about all my friends, family and coworkers who donated to this cause and have provided me with kind words and encouragement these last 5 months! I am so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people and have their support. A big thanks to all the Hoboken Elysianettes who I trained with many many times...I cant wait to see you cheering at mile 23!!! Also a special thanks to Tina and Lori, my fellow Fred's Team-mates, whom I met at the opening dinner several months ago and have been emailing with every week since! Ok well, I didn't mean for this to be an Emmy speech but while I am at it a special thanks to Matt, who has had to deal with me on a daily basis and listen to ALL of my complaints (yes there are a lot) and my ups and downs with marathon training. He is super supportive and never let me get too down on myself.

So what am I doing to prepare? Resting a lot, getting to bed early every night this week, going over my check-list of everything I need to bring with me, looking at weather.com every 5 seconds and praying for no rain, emailing with running friends with last minute questions, etc. Tomorrow I will check into my hotel in Times Square that my charity gives me for all my hard work! Then I will go out for my favorite pre-race dinner: a burger and fries! Then on Sunday I will be with my charity team and heading to Staten Island via a bus and starting in the 2nd Wave, 10am start! Woohoo, I am so pumped!

Ok well, THIS IS IT! On to do something very different, very challenging and very crazy - 2009 NYC Marathon, here I come! Look for me Sunday in my orange shirt!

18 Mile Tune Up

As my friend Tina said, I think they should rename this run the "18 mile screw up!" I was so screwed up after running the three, yes three loops in central park, in the RAIN and after being sick all week! I am nuts that I even considered it to begin with but it is too late in the game to miss a training run now and so I went through with it.

For starters I had to be up at 6am, drive into the city and find parking on the UES. I ended up parking 20-something blocks from the start line and make a long story short had to run ALL OVER the place to pick up my race number and get to the start. I ended up being late but oh well, better late than never. And yes I will admit this is my own fault for being unorganizedbut I was a bit bummed out to spend 30 minutes (=3 miles) running right before my 18 mile timed run. Ughhhh. So overall I completed 21 miles!

The first loop felt great but after that I was pretty tired and slowed down. My shoes were soaked by mile 3. The hills in Central Park are such a killer and knowing where they all are does not help me get through it any faster or easier. I finished the 18 miles in 3:12 or a 10:43 pace which is terrible for me, but hey at least I did it. It was nice to do it with a few thousand people around me as well, much more motivating then by myself! Afterward I walked, actually limped back a mile plus to my car. The whole time I am saying something is wrong in my foot, something is wrong with my foot! 10 days later I am still saying something is wrong but I am also saying something is getting better. I am off to see the doctor tonight and hopefully find out it is just a strain. I have my last long run this weekend and really looking forward to it. We are doing a bridge to bridge run: George Washington Bridge to Brooklyn Bridge! I am so excited and have always wanted to walk or run over the Brooklyn Bridge. I hope my foot holds up for the 20-22 miles. After this I am smooth sailing!

I also found out my bib number for race day and that I will be in the 2nd wave start, so I will be starting at 10am. Biggest upset though is that I will be running on the lower level of the Verrazano Bridge on the day of the marathon. I hope I don't get peed on like everyone says I will! Note to people on the upper level, please watch your bodily fluids!

I do have some more good news! I have met my fundraising goal and exceeded it! $5500 raised for cancer research and in memory of Gma Connie! Woohoo!!! I am still fundraising so definitely help out if you can! Lots of love and luck to other runners as we reach the last few weeks of training and fundraising!

https://fredsteam.mskcc.org/fundraising/Controller?action=userHome&user_id=39924&event_id=128

I never home leave without these!

Ok so it has been awhile since I have blogged but I have been super busy! I feel like things are really spinning out of control but I like it in a way. Time is flying bye and the marathon will be here before I know it!

Last weekend I was up at 6:00am to complete 18 miles and it had to be done running by 10:00am at the latest. This was by far my best long run yet! I ran 6 miles down to Hoboken and met up with two friends: Rosemary and Kristi. I did 6 with them and then we met up with the rest of the group (Hoboken Elysianette Running Society) and did my last 6 with the team! The weather is getting cooler and I did not feel fatigued at all. I think my body is getting used to running these long distances now!

After that I was in a huge rush because I had to meet lovely Jayd Gardina to shoot a wedding as a 2nd photographer! Woohoo! So I took my ice bath (burrr), showered quickly, packed up my camera gear and drove off into the city to meet her! I had a great time shooting with her and felt pretty good all day despite my early morning run! Ok and lastly I attended the MTV VMA's Red Carpet on Sunday at Radio City Music Hall! It amazing and I met so many celebs - this definitely deserves its own blog post so I will save that one for later but let's just say it was an INSANELY BUSY WEEKEND!

Anyway I thought it would be fun and helpful to blog about the items I never leave home without when going on a long run! I am obsessed with buying and trying out new running gear and have finally figured out what works best for me. Every morning when I wake up, I go through a mental checklist and make sure I have everything for my run. Here it is:

Mizuno Wave Ride 12 Running Shoes - I have been wearing these shoes for almost two years and refuse to try anything else. I dislike the current color that is out right now but beggars can't be chosers! If you are thinking about taking up running, please go to a specialty running store and be properly fitted for running shoes. Be sure to change out your running shoes every 300-500 miles!



Powerstep Insoles - These offer more support and cushion than the insoles that come with the shoe. I think these also help absorb the impact that your knees and shins take from all the pounding



Under Armour Running Socks - I pick these up at either TJ Max or Dick's Sporting Goods. They are pretty thick and offer more support and cushion than most running socks.



Nike Running Tanks - I tend to overheat so I always dress as light as possible. I have both cotton and dri-fit styles and love both.



Brooks Running Shorts - I have tried on many brands and Brooks seem to fit the best. They have a wider waist band and wont cause the muffin-top effect. I also love Nike running capris and running tights for colder months.



iFitness Running Belt - If I am going on a shorter run (1-7 miles), I will take my iFitness Running Belt which was purchased at Super Runner's Shop in Grand Central. (They can also be bought online.) This belt holds my blackberry, money, and several other small things.



Fuel Belt - I get very thirsty when I run and if I am going far (7+ miles), I take my fuel belt with me. This has 2 bottles that I can fill with water and pouches to hold my blackberry, Gu, etc. (There plenty of places where I am able to refill my bottles but if you run out in the boonies you may want to get a 4 bottle belt.) I got a size small and wear it around my waist but I know some people wear them around their hips.

I thought it would be important to note that your belt should be neoprene all the way around and velcro in the front. If it has buckles or non-stretchy fabric, chances are it won't stay in place and you will experience a lot of bouncing. Also, if I am running in a race then I usually leave this at home - anything over 15 miles and this belt becomes a big pain (literally). I purchased this at City Sports in NYC - they seem to have the largest selection!



Gu - When going on a long run I always take Gu with me. It offers carbs and a quick caffeine boost and helps you get through those lulls where you start slowing down and feeling tired. My best advice is to try these out before races to make sure your stomach can handle them. Eat them fast and take with a lot of water.



My favorite flavor is Espresso Love, it has more caffeine in it than the others - 40 grams. My second favorite flavor is Chocolate Outrage, it tastes like pudding!



Nike Watch - I do not know the make and model of this off the top of my head but I really like this watch. It is easy to use and fits very nicely on my wrist. I time my runs and and figure out my distance from my time (i.e. I consistently run a 10 minute mile.)



iPod Nano - I cannot run without music and always have this bad boy with me, even in races. I have the old 2G version of the Nano but it is still going strong after several years. If I am running with friends then I leave this behind but otherwise I love rocking out during running!



Blackberry, Money, Advil, Bandaids - I usually always bring these along for emergency purposes. You never know when you are going to need to make a phone call or pop an advil (lol that sounded funny). Also the money is important incase you need to stop an buy a water or god forbid you get injured and need to grab a cab. I have heard horror stories before and therefore have added these things in my running belt for long distance runs!



Body Glide - Last but not least you will need to lather up in Body Glide on anything longer than a 13-14 mile run. Girls: rub this all along your sports bra line, under your arms, and anywhere else you think you may chafe. I usually put it on my feet along with vaseline because I am prone to losing toe nails and blistering when it's really hot.



Finally - I would really love to add this to my running gear so if you are feeling generous please feel free to buy it for me!

GPS Garming 405 Watch



Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions! The above are all recommendations and not necessarily the best on the market or the best for you in particular. Definitely try things out and go from there!

I'm still standing

18 miles and I am still standing!

This past weekend my running friends and I planned an 18 mile run that started in Hoboken, headed north on River Road, crossed over the George Washington Bridge and continued down the west side of Manhattan all the way to 42nd Street! Operation GW Bridge was a success and we all made it! The weather was cool, the sun stayed behind clouds for most of the time and there were plenty of places for water and restroom breaks. The run was hard but the best reward was the delicious brunch place which was practically waiting for us at the end of the run! Well, it IS Manhattan and after all there are hundreds if not thousands of places to eat, but Andrea knew of a yummy one that served french fries with the omelets and had mimosas the size of margaritas! Yumm just what I needed to refuel! Thank you to everyone who came down: Andrea, Missy, Tiffany, Marta, Prerna and Elizabeth - you girls rock! Thanks for waiting for my slow-poke-self to catch up and finish.

Ok so I won't go into the boring details of the run but I am just so glad to have conquered this distance. I really could not picture running another 8 miles after that but let's just pretend that thought never crossed my mind. After the run I took an ice bath which I have found really helps cure the post-run aches and pains. It sounds torturous but trust me, they are GREAT!

Training is getting tough and like I have mentioned in previous posts it is wearing me down mentally and physically. I have been exhausted and going to bed much earlier. I have found myself feeling rather cranky and short tempered and feel bad that my husband has to take the wrath of it. The running is also disrupting my personal life because I cannot see friends and family when I want to. Everything single thing needs to planned around running. I also haven't had much time for photography or any photo-related blogs but please be patient, they will be back! The next two months are going to be rough but I am trying to stay positive and focus on the goal at hand - finishing the marathon and raising money for a great cause.

Fundraising is going great: $3210.56 and still climbing! Please help by making a contribution today!

https://fredsteam.mskcc.org/fundraising/Controller?action=userHome&user_id=39924&event_id=128

A reunion in Lake George + a running update

Eight and a half years ago I ventured on to one of the most amazing experiences of my life. As a junior in college I decided to study abroad in London! Yes - I got get college credits and back-packed throughout Europe all in one shot! Not bad right?

I moved to London in January 2001 into a cute flat on the west side / Bayswater area of London. Well, I thought the flat was cute back then but when I look back at pictures I say woah and yikes! The furniture was old and drag, the kitchen was the size of a bathroom, the refrigerator was only big enough to hold 2 yogurts and 2 takeout boxes, the washer and dryer was a combined unit, yes washer and dryer all in one and could only fit 4 shirts at a time, the hot water never worked and with so many girls showering a day it was not fun getting ready. I think I shaved my legs all of two times that semester! But some how, some way I still managed to fall in love with my 3 story flat and would not trade any of my experiences for anything in this world!


Our flat, 2 The Colannades, was home to 8 American girls and right next door was another group of girls, 2 of whom we also got close with! I only knew one girl (Kerri) prior to my trip but I wasted no time of making new friends and marched myself right in to everyone else's lives. We spent countless hours together in the flat, at school (not really), out at a club, pub or restaurant, touring around London, eating jacket potatoes or crepes, shopping at Oxofrd Street, Covent Garden or Camden and BEST of all seeing other countries! During my stay in London I was able to go to various parts of England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Amsterdam, Paris, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic and Austria! Yes all of that while going to school and getting 12 credits towards a Business Degree! Whew, what a whirlwind. Four months later I returned to the states a new and improved person. While in London I learned a lot about myself and even grew up a bit. I learned to actually like myself, maybe even love myself and realized being different was a good thing. It was great to be in a new place where I didn't have to worry about what other people thought and I didn't have to pretend to be something, I was just me. I am not going to get too deep into this but lets just say it was a very positive experience and my other flatmates will attest that they had similar feelings of finding themselves.

So after London, I managed to keep in touch with all 10 girls - on and off but yes we kept in touch. Every year we promised to get together and have a reunion but every year we failed. Most recently we all found each other on facebook and really put the plans in motion for a reunion! (God I love facebook!) We decided Lake George was a good meeting point as most of us live several hours away. 6 of the 10 girls were able to make it to this reunion and I felt so blessed to see them again and reminisce about our trip and crazy travel stories. We talked, laughed, shared pictures and really enjoyed our time together! We did some touristy things too: a paddle boat tour on the lake, a float tour in tubes down a river, mini golf and a lot of eating! We vowed to do this again and also decided we wanted to have a reunion trip to London one day!


I know this post is lonnnng but I had to add in a running update as well! I am lucky that 3 of my London friends offered to run with me that weekend! I only needed to log 10-12 miles and I mapped a route for us along Lakeshore Drive. It wasn't as scenic as I would have liked and was very hilly (Adirondacks, ugh) and the rain was a bummer but we persevered through! Thanks Paula, Kerri and Shara for running with me! Shara I hope your knees are ok!


It was so great to see all of you girls! Paul, Shara, Kerri, Lauren, Natasha I had so much fun with you! Rachel, Kelly, Lisa and Shelly - you were missed!

Here are a few fun pics







Running partners

16.5 miles & a gift for myself

Wow - I cannot believe I completed a 16.5 mile run this past Saturday. It was by far the hardest run I have faced in my life. It was also the furthest run I have ever done in my life. That coupled with the heat and my brief time off from my hip injury = did not make for a good day. I was physically and mentally drained and three days later I am still suffering in pain.

I was a little hesitant about jumping right back into a long run after being off for 10 days, but I decided to give it a go. I left my house at 6:30am and jogged 6 miles down to Hoboken to meet my running friends. I decided ahead of time to run with Prerna and do 10 miles with her. Prerna is training for the Adirondack Marathon and was actually completing a total of 18 miles on Saturday! The first part of the run was fine but after that it was a struggle. As soon as we left Hoboken I realized that I could not keep up with Prerna or anyone else in the group. She had her GPS watch on and said we were running anywhere from a 10:10-10:45 pace - well why on earth did I feel like I was sprinting?! I took my time and am so glad Prerna was nice enough to wait for me at certain points and make sure I was ok. We stopped for water, stopped to stretch but even so I was still struggling. I finished the run in about 2:45, and with all the stops it was about 3:00 hours. Wow, I still cannot even believe I did that. I drank a ton of water and ate two gels (GU) and felt decent but noticed I was covered in a thick layer of white salt after the run. It was actually more like crunchy sea salt - gross! I don't sweat a lot but salt seems to pour out of me. I learned that this is not good and can cause dehydration. I drank about 50 ounces of water but that doesn't matter, the loss of salt can be detrimental. Now that I established I am a "salty sweater" I know going forward that I need to consume salt packets while running. FUN!

So - the real pain did not set in until I got home. I quickly ate because I was starving and also started to ice my hip and legs. I showered and cleaned up and was suddenly doubled over in pain. My stomach was in an uproar. Ugh. Not only that but I felt so weak and my legs were like jello. I laid down on the couch and did not move from 12:00pm until 8:00pm. I even broke down crying and told Matt I don't know how I am going to make it through if I feel like this after every long run. He told me he thinks I did too much and that the heat got to me. I also consulted with 2 running friends who said it was normal to feel like this and that yes the heat probably got to me. All I know is I felt like crap and think I have a long road ahead of me. Running has not been hard so far so this was definitely my first real challenge. No one said it is going to be easy but I just felt so defeated and it upset me.

My spirits did get lifted later that night with a bit of retail therapy. After dinner I felt a little bit better and we decided to go out and run a few errands. Sports Authority was having a sale and I wanted to pick up another pair of running shoes. I was also able to purchase an insurance-type protection plan for my running shoes, can you believe there is such a thing? I also picked up a few Nike tank tops and Matt got a new Jets shirt. I loved my new purchases and am so glad they were all on sale!

Then we stopped at the new Nordstrom Rack which was on our way home. I walked in the store and could not believe my eyes: front and center was a huge rack of True Religion Jeans! I felt like the clouds parted and music was playing and that all of my jean dreams had come true! I am a total jeans freak and have been wanting a pair True Religions for 3 years now but did not have the guts to spend $250+ on them. When I got accepted to the NYC Marathon I said I was going to splurge and buy myself a pair or at least try find some on sale. I always keep an eye out on sale racks but they never have them in the style or size I need. However here they were, in all their glorious-ness, my dream jeans! I only had a few minutes to complete the transaction as the store was closing so I had to be quick! I tried them on, they fit and it was a done deal! I really felt like it was meant to be. I had a rough day and was down in the dumps and fate interceded and brought me to my jeans. Yes this all sounds silly but I have had a couple bouts with fate and do believe in it, even if it has to do with a material item! Ha ha!

Here they are - I love them!

I am injured - OUCH!

7 days ago I injured my hip flexor! I am not quite sure how but it has not been pleasant! Ok so if you remember I ran 15 miles last Saturday in Nashville, then I did a 3 fast miles on Monday and 7 miles on Tuesday. Wednesday morning I wake up and bam - I could not walk and you can just forget running. OK well I am exaggerating, I can walk but with a slight limp. I have never felt something hurt so bad in quite a long time. Not even the sciatic pains in my right leg hurt this bad! To this moment I still don't even know how I did it but do remember tripping earlier that day in the city so maybe it was from that? Or could it be from uneven pavement or the hills I encountered the night before? I keep replaying everything in my head and trying to figure out where I went wrong. All I know is I was devastated to the point of tears and all I could think of was not being able to run in the marathon. I was pretty hysterical when I tried the elliptical at the gym and couldn't even do that :( I tend to cry a lot and overreact so sort of behavior is nothing out of the ordinary.

.

So I decided to do some research and think that I may have injured my Rectus Femoris or what is shown here in the green. I talked to my sister Dana, who works in a Physical Therapy and Athletic Training office, and she said to rest it and ice it 4 times a day. I have also been taking advil on the regular to help with the pain and the inflammation. I decided it was in my best interest to not even try running on it for at least a week. Dana said if it didn't feel better in 5 days to see a doctor. Well after 5 days it DID indeed start to feel better. I decided to bike and do the stair climber on Sunday (neither of these hurt very much) and have been lifting weights and stretching a lot. Last night (after 7 days) I was able to do the elliptical again and I think I just may be back to running by Saturday! Hooray! Just in time for a 16 miler! I hope having these 10 days off didn't hurt my training at all, but I guess I shall see!

.

A quick update on my donations: I am up to $2,556.20! I am officially halfway to my $5,000 goal. I am thinking of hosting a charity event with some cool giveaways and prizes but need to do some brainstorming first! Please click below if you are able to contribute to cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering!

https://fredsteam.mskcc.org/fundraising/Controlleraction=userHome&user_id=39924&event_id=128